Too soon to predict easy flu season

In response to the flu vaccine shortage, German vaccine is purchased and ethicists are called upon to help decide allocation issues.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Dec. 27, 2004.

Despite its quiet start, the flu season is not over and physicians should remain vigilant, said Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Remember that while flu may not be in the news right now, flu is unpredictable; flu is a formidable foe," said Dr. Gerberding, speaking at the AMA's Interim Meeting in Atlanta on Dec. 7. "We can't be confident that we're not going to see more flu before the season has ended. So it's still very important to take this seriously and not give in to the temptation to assume a slow start means it's going to be an easy season."

Last year at this time, the flu was taking a much higher and more visible toll with reports of child deaths prominent in the news. In contrast, the latest CDC flu figures show no pediatric deaths and most states reporting only sporadic flu activity.

Many states also have surplus doses of vaccine and are either allowing people who are not in high-priority groups to receive the shots or are considering doing so.

Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced on the same day in Washington that 1.2 million doses of flu vaccine, manufactured in Germany by GlaxoSmithKline, were purchased for use in this country. The purchase of another 3 million doses is expected.

The vaccine, Fluarix, which has been approved by the European equivalents of the Food and Drug Administration but not licensed for use in the United States, will be considered an investigational new drug.